Jaden Read online

  “That’ll be interesting, how you will handle the relationship once he’s not there.”

  “There is talk of him staying in the Dallas area though,” Brianna said with a flush on her cheeks. “And I think that would be wonderful.”

  “That would be lovely,” Susan said, all smiles.

  Brianna told her friend about Iain and what he was doing in town.

  Susan smiled warmly. “Sounds to me like he and Jaden both are much better men than Gerald was.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I just didn’t see what I should have seen.”

  “What was that you should have seen?” Susan asked curiously.

  “I was looking for a father replacement,” she said simply. “And I got him. My dad was a cheating SOB. And so was Gerald.” She laughed. “He did me a favor, and I didn’t even have a chance to thank him for that part of it.”

  “And I wouldn’t thank him either,” Susan warned. “It’s nice to see him humble and looking back at his own actions and wanting to change, but don’t ever give him a vote of approval for what he did.”

  “True,” she said, laughing. “Now it’s just a case of taking it slow with Jaden and seeing where it can go.”

  “Is it that serious?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, “but I hope so.”

  “Wow,” Susan said. “He must be special.”

  “He is,” she said. “He’s very special.”

  Sunday they decided to order in and have some girl talk, watch a movie—a relaxing day after the hectic one of yesterday. Then Brianna would leave shortly after lunchtime.

  By the time she got home that evening, she was still feeling mellow and happy. She changed into a skirt and a pretty top that she’d bought on her weekend trip and raced up the stairs. Once there, she found a group of men off to one side. When she saw no sign of Jaden, she headed to his room. She knocked on the door, and, when she heard, “Come in,” she opened the door and stepped in. He was fully dressed but lying on the bed. “Hey, are you up to dinner?”

  He looked at her in surprise and nodded. He slowly sat up and then slid to the floor. “Sure. Iain had to leave early.”

  “Are you not feeling well?”

  “I’m fine,” he said. He stood up, and she walked over to where his crutches were, and he stopped her. “I’m gonna try to do this without them.”

  She nodded slowly and said, “Okay. You can take them if you want, just in case, or I can carry them.”

  “No,” he said. “Thinking of this as our first date, I didn’t want to go as a disabled man.”

  She stopped and stepped right in front of him, then said, “Even if you’re in a wheelchair, on crutches, or walking as you are, disabled is a mental state. You might have a disability, but you are not disabled. You’re one of the strongest and most capable men I’ve ever met.”

  He looked at her in surprise.

  She shrugged. “I’ve grown up a lot while I’ve been here. I’ve also realized how naive and stupid I was when I was engaged to be married. My fiancé, God bless his soul, did me a favor,” she said quietly. “Prior to him breaking up and leaving me at the altar, I hadn’t really had any hiccups in my life. I hadn’t had any opportunities to grow or to be stronger.”

  “When I first arrived, while I was sitting at that table, and then I saw you,” he said. “I already knew you were strong and capable.”

  “That’s because you didn’t see my walls,” she said, laughing.

  “You didn’t see my wheelchair,” he pointed out.

  “No. Not at first. But … Well, I will admit that, with this soul-searching of mine,” she said, “I did wonder about one thing. I was sick when I thought I found you attractive simply because you were in a wheelchair. As if I wouldn’t have to worry about you cheating on me in a relationship because of that. And I hated myself for even considering that. Please forgive me. And help me forgive myself.” She stared at him, searching for forgiveness. He frowned but not in disappointment. He was concerned. His hand gently squeezed her shoulder in support. He may have been silent but he seemed to be encouraging her to get it all out.

  “So I’m very happy to say that I realized my attraction to you right from the beginning, and why I’m still attracted to you, is because of who you are and what you’ve survived and all that you’ve surmounted in your life.” She took a deep breath and let more painful truths about her come to the surface. “I didn’t have any of those to deal with in my life before my breakup. And, even after the break-up, I wasn’t surmounting those. I wasn’t challenging myself to rise above it all.

  “Neither did I go on a search to learn something. I was just shoving it all away, trying to hide it from myself. That’s what the walls were all about.” She sighed. “So, the walls had to come down, but, at the same time, I realized that you’ve achieved so much in your life already that,” she continued, “if anybody in this room is disabled, it’s me. I hadn’t had your challenges to work through. I didn’t have any hiccups to find a way to get over.

  “But now that I can see how much different I am today from the person I was back then, I realized how naive and innocent I was. It’s not that I’m older and more mature, but at least I’m a little more aware of who and what I am and who and what I need in my life.”

  “Wow,” he said. “I wasn’t really expecting all that to be going on in your life. No wonder you had to go off by yourself, to dig through that. However, I did think that maybe the wheelchair and this body weren’t good enough for anybody.” He took several deep breaths. “It’s one of the things that Shane and I fought about. That I didn’t see myself as being as good as him. He quickly told me off for that and made me realize this body doesn’t define who I am.”

  “No,” she said, “but the body does show who you are in the sense of how far you’ve come and how hard you’ve worked to get where you are. You don’t see these steps that you’re taking as progress, but I see it as tremendous gains, as tremendous strength and determination. I see it as a trailblazing path toward your future.”

  She reached out and gently stroked his cheek, then said, “You have no idea what a joy it is to see you on your own two feet like this. Myself? I’ve been on my own two physical feet.” She looked down. “But I haven’t been on my own two emotional feet. I’ve been wallowing. And, for that, I’m very grateful for this last week of discovery. It’s been uncomfortable, and it’s been difficult to face in so many ways, but it really feels like I’ve arrived somewhere, and that this somewhere is a place that I needed to come to.”

  “I agree, simply because you are so happy now.” He motioned at the door. “Do you think we can start walking to dinner?” he asked. “I’m not sure how long I can stand.”

  At that, she burst out laughing and retreated to the hallway, then held out her hand. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s walk in together.”

  He smiled, took a few steps, and stopped close the door. And mindful to walk balanced and to not lean, they held hands as they walked down the hallway. “If we walk in there like this,” he said, “everybody is gonna know.”

  “Are you ashamed of me?” she asked.

  He looked at her in surprise.

  She shrugged. “I haven’t been a very good person.”

  “In what way?” he asked in astonishment.

  “Well, I probably wasn’t a good girlfriend to my ex, and I’ve certainly hidden all this time while I’ve been here,” she said, “but I am different now.”

  “I can see that,” he said. “I’ve noticed that you’re much happier and certainly much brighter.”

  “Good,” she said, “because that’s how I feel.”

  “And that’s BS about you not being good enough,” he said. “How could you possibly even think that? I’m the one not here completely.”

  “Yes, you are. Your soul is much fuller than mine is. Mine’s a little on the weak side, but it’s getting better,” she said firmly.

  He started to chuckle. “This is a weird conversati
on.”

  She grinned at him. “Hey, I can agree with that,” she said, “but it doesn’t change the essential meaning behind it all.”

  “No,” he said. “You’re definitely worthy of me. I’m the one who felt unworthy of you.”

  “That’s because you’re looking at your current physical level and comparing it to Shane, probably the most physically fit of us all,” she said. “As your leg improves, which it is obviously doing, you’re improving by leaps and bounds. But the other parts, your emotional, your spiritual, your soul level? They’re all dynamite. I’m working on those now too.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” he said with a smile. “Anything along that line comes to us naturally. I’ve been through a little bit more than you have, but, as life throws us different curve balls that we have to triumph over, we all duck or catch, depending on our style. Honey, in absolutely no way can you say you’re less than I am.”

  “Okay,” she said. “I’ll give in on that.” She was pleased to hear that he wasn’t seeing her as any less after her shameful admission earlier. “It’s funny,” she said, “because I know that I needed to go through this, and I know that I owe my ex thanks for getting me here, but I hadn’t realized how discarded he made me feel, like I was second-class. Like I’m not good enough.”

  “More BS,” he said cheerfully. Just shy of the doorway, he stopped and looked down at her and said, “You’re beautiful inside and out. I’m sorry that you went through what you went through, but it’s his loss.” He grinned. “And my gain.”

  She smiled a gentle smile. “Are you interested?” she asked.

  The two of them stood toe-to-toe and eye to eye as they stared at each other.

  “I’m definitely interested,” he said. “You?”

  “Oh, yes,” she whispered. “Absolutely. I can’t say I’ve met anybody quite the same as you in all my life.”

  “Ditto,” he said. “And it makes everything that I’ve been through up until now more worthwhile,” he added in a whisper.

  “Why are we whispering?” she asked.

  “Because it’s a special moment,” he said. “A very special moment.” And he tilted her chin up ever-so-slightly, leaned forward, and kissed her.

  She could feel everything inside her melt in joy. She gently clasped her hands on either side of his head, and, when he finally lifted his head, she looked up at him and smiled. “You’re right. It’s very special.”

  “So,” he said, “a pact. Shall we move forward together in life as one?”

  “Is that possible?”

  “Absolutely,” he said. “We’ll bounce off each other on this journey of ours. When one slides back, the other will help, moving us up, so that we’re again at the same level. And we can both go forward, but we won’t ever hold each other back.”

  She shook her head. “Do you think we can?”

  He grinned. “Sure. I’m an optimist,” he said. “I’ll be happy to show you the way.”

  She chuckled, and, hand in hand, they walked into the cafeteria.

  As they stepped inside, everybody else stood, staring at them. Even Dani was here, with her father. Like they were awaiting Brianna’s and Jaden’s next move before they applauded.

  Immediately Brianna’s cheeks flushed deep red. Under her breath, she whispered, “Oops. We’ve been found out.”

  “Nah,” he said. “We shared our first kiss, in front of a few of our friends. But I think there’s a great way to handle this.” He nodded, his gaze locked on hers. “The only way as we go forward is with a commitment.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He grabbed her fingers and gently kissed each one of them. He whispered in a serious tone to match the expression on his face, “I am. How about you?”

  The tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. She nodded slowly. “I’ve never felt this way before.”

  “Good,” he said, “because this is us, from now on, going forward. This is for us being together always, and this is for all our tomorrows.” And he kissed her ring finger. “We’ll fill this empty spot in a few days, if you don’t mind.”

  Tears overflowed as she whispered, “Yes.”

  He smiled, took her in his arms, and this time he kissed her for real.

  All around them, cheers erupted.

  When he finally broke their kiss, her face was burning hot. But she had a beaming smile on it. “You do like to make things public, don’t you?” she muttered.

  “No,” he said, “but what I don’t want is to have our relationship be some secret, like we are ashamed or doing something scandalous.” He let go of Brianna with his right hand to lift it, calming the crowd, still holding Brianna’s left hand, to speak to all those gathered here. “As you all can see, she did say yes.”

  At that, the place erupted in cheers once more.

  She stared at him, her eyes wide. She shook her head as more tears came to her eyes. And just when she turned to head toward the food aisle, Dennis stood in front of them with a bottle of champagne and two flutes. “You’ll need food to go with this,” he said, “but this is cause for celebration.”

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Did you have that ready?”

  “I’m starting to understand this place,” Dennis said with a big grin. “But nobody, nobody is happier than me to see this go down.”

  “Well, in that case,” she said, “I’d love a glass of champagne with my dinner.”

  “Come on. Let’s get you a table first,” Dennis said. “Tonight you get personal service.” And he led the way through the cheering crowd as the two of them walked together, Jaden a little slowly and a little awkwardly as they made it to the table at the far side. But, like a true gentleman, he stood and helped to push in her chair while she sat, and then he sat close beside her.

  Meanwhile, Dennis popped the cork and filled the champagne glasses, then promptly left the couple alone. At least more alone in a roomful of others.

  Jaden leaned across the corner of the table and whispered, “You look great tonight.”

  She smiled and said, “You always look great.”

  He grinned as they lifted their flutes and tapped them gently together. “To us. For now and forever.”

  She smiled and whispered, “To us.”

  And her heart had never felt better.

  This concludes Book 10 of Hathaway House: Jaden.

  Read about Keith: Hathaway House, Book 11

  Hathaway House: Keith (Book #11)

  Welcome to Hathaway House. Rehab Center. Safe Haven. Second chance at life and love.

  Keith came to Hathaway House at his sister’s insistence. For he has already given up on regaining the future she keeps telling him that he can find here or, for that matter, any other future worth having. And, besides, don’t they know he’s too weak for the trip and for the treatment and for any of the plans the team has for him? Don’t they know he’s broken beyond repair, and nothing they can do will fix him?

  But apparently they don’t because no one listens to him. Not the doctors. Not his sister. And definitely not the tiny woman who keeps delivering his coffee at 5:00 a.m.

  Ilse, head chef for Hathaway House, rarely ventures out of the kitchen she manages. It’s easier to deal with the groceries and the staff than it is to see the pain and suffering of those she feeds. But something about Keith and his frailty calls to her. She can’t help but go out of her way to ensure he has everything he needs. Even though she knows she cannot keep their relationship on a professional level, once started.

  Even if not in her best interests to do so. Because, in this case, surely Keith’s best interests matter, so much more than her own.

  Find Book 11 here!

  To find out more visit Dale Mayer’s website.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Jaden: Hathaway House, Book 10! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review here.

  Dear reader,

  I love to hear from
readers, and you can contact me at my website: www.dalemayer.com or at my Facebook author page. To be informed of new releases and special offers, sign up for my newsletter or follow me on BookBub. And if you are interested in joining Dale Mayer’s Reader Group, here is the Facebook sign up page.

  Cheers,

  Dale Mayer

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  About the Author

  Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

  She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

  To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.

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